This came out of nowhere. Robot Cache is a new "decentralized" game distribution platform powered by blockchain technology that's going to allow reduced fees for publishers and the ability for customers to resell their digital PC games.
Here's how it's all going to work in a nutshell:
FOR GAMERS
New Games: Gamers can buy games digitally, just like on iTunes or Steam or PSN, by using a credit card.
Resale: Due to blockchain technology, games can resale used digital games from the library on Robot Cache.
Cryptocurrency: When reselling games from your library, you receive cryptocurrency (IRON) as payment which you can use toward the purchase of other new or used games, or can cash it out. Being able to resale your digital PC games is a massive shift in the industry; 25% of the resale goes to the gamer which is better than what you get on all other platforms (you cannot resale digital games).
Mining: Games can also mine and earn IRON, which can be used toward the purchase of new or used games or cashed out.
FOR DEVELOPERS/PUBLISHERS
New Digital Games Revenue: Publishers/Developers earn up to 95% of the revenue on the sale of a new game. Industry standard is 70% on new game sales.
Used Digital Games Revenue: Earn up to 70% of the revenue on the resale of a used game; gamer earns 25%. Industry standard is you cannot resale used digital PC games. This means more revenue for developers and publishers meaning they can use it to grow and create more games.
TOKEN GENERATION EVENT
Robot Cache will be creating IRON based on the ERC-20 standard. Robot Cache will sell and issue Simple Agreements for Future Tokens (SAFTs), which will convert into IRON upon launch of the platform which will take place in Q2, 2018. SAFTs are expected to begin being offered in an Institutional Pre-sale on January 17, 2018, and SAFTs are expected to begin being offered in an Accredited Public Pre-sale on February 15, 2018. Robot Cache will look to raise a minimum of $15M USD in a token generation event to be used to obtain exclusive content, develop partnerships and the digital PC video game distribution platform, and for sales, marketing, general, administrative, legal, and accounting purposes. The solicitation, offer, and sale of SAFTs will be conducted in a manner that is compliant with applicable securities laws and regulations, including Rule 506(c) of Regulation D. Only verified accredited investors will be eligible to purchase SAFTs.
Lee Jacobson, CEO at Robot Cache, said in a statement:
Just a handful of companies dominate the multi-billion-dollar digital download PC video games market. Robot Cache plans to revolutionize the industry by launching the first-ever workable decentralized video game marketplace that benefits both the creators of video games and gamers. All of this is accomplished by expertly leveraging the power, flexibility, safety, and transparency of blockchain technology.
Brian Fargo, CEO of inXile Entertainment and Founder of Robot Cache, added:
Earning any money on the video game resale market is unheard of for game publishers, and earning up to 70%, which is equivalent to the best margins publishers and developers currently receive on today’s most popular digital distributions platforms is crazy. Allowing creators to keep 95% of new game sales, and 70% on game resales, provides developers, like us at inXile, with a strong financial stream. This gives us more resources to create new content and new IPs for fans.
Needless to say, we'll keep a close eye on this one as it could indeed bring about a massive paradigm shift for the distribution of PC games.
About the author: With over two decades of experience in gaming journalism, Alessio Palumbo has led the gaming vertical at Wccftech since August 2015. He started working at a young age for Italian websites like Everyeye.it, Gamestar.it, Nextgame.it, and Multiplayer.it before kickstarting the indie English-language publication Worlds Factory as its founder and Editor in Chief. In the last decade, he has coordinated the overall output of Wccftech's gaming section, managed PR relations, assigned reviews, produced daily news coverage, edited gaming content as needed, and delivered game reviews. Arguably, his trademark content is the long series of exclusive developer interviews that have been cited by Wikipedia and by the biggest news media and gaming publications. His passion for technology also makes him knowledgeable when it comes to gaming hardware and tech. His favorite genres include RPGs, MMORPGs, and action/adventure games.
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